Influence of socioeconomic factors during adolescence on the menarcheal age in Central Poland girls.

Abstract

The purpose of the project was to indication the environmental factors that may influence on the menarcheal age in girls of Central Poland. The study was conducted in Warsaw and Lodz between 2016 and 2017 among subjects of randomly selected high schools, schools for adults, and workplaces. The material included 752 subjects between the ages of 16.00 and 29.23 years (mean age was 20.99 years). The questionnaire form provided information on the place of residence, parents' educational level, living conditions, and the number of children in the family. All questions concerned the period of adolescence. Studied subjects also were asked about their participation in sports in and outside the school, the level of stress at school and at home, smoking habits, and their age at menarche. To find the relation between the age at menarche and the socioeconomic status and living condition, the Generalized Linear Model with link function logit analysis and t-test were used. The statistically significant difference in the age at menarche was found based on the place of residence during adolescence and father's educational level. The girls from larger cities, whose fathers have higher education seem to mature earliest.